A man is suing Star City Casino after he lost $50,000 when staff allegedly broke an agreement not to let him near the blackjack tables. Chi Thanh Nguyen, 35, was financially ruined and on the verge of a marriage breakdown when the casino offered to ban him for life.

The casino offers a self-exclusion service that lets gamblers ban themselves with the help of casino staff. But two years after signing the agreement, Mr Nguyen had a moment of weakness and returned to Star City, where he dropped another $50,000.

Mr Nguyen: 'I excluded myself from the casino after they made me lose a lot of money at baccarat and blackjack. I had lost $150,000, and I said: 'I can't lose any more money, please don't let me in any more.' I signed a form and they said if I returned, I would be fined $2000 and they could kick me out.'

Mr Nguyen's solicitor confirmed yesterday that she was preparing to sue the casino for breach of duty, negligence and $50,000 in damages. A Star City Casino spokesman said yesterday Mr Nguyen had been detected entering the casino on May 5 and was escorted out by a government inspector.

A spokesman said: 'Star City does all it can to detect people who have self-excluded from the casino, and we ask them to leave. However, we don't pretend it's possible to detect everyone who tries to re-enter, especially when the gaming floor is crowded.'